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Pioneer GM Plant Scientist Mary-Dell Chilton Dies at 87

7/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

Mary-Dell Chilton died on June 24 at her Carrboro, North Carolina home, age 87, from congestive heart failure.
Chilton led the team that created the first genetically modified plant in 1982, enabling higher-yielding, pest-resistant crops.
She enrolled at the University of Illinois in the 1950s, switching from physics to chemistry after an astronomy professor barred her.
At her 2018 retirement party, son Mark Chilton toasted the astronomy professor who had turned her away.

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Story summary

Mary-Dell Chilton died on June 24 at her Carrboro, North Carolina home, age 87, from congestive heart failure.
Chilton led the team that created the first genetically modified plant in 1982, enabling higher-yielding, pest-resistant crops.
She enrolled at the University of Illinois in the 1950s, switching from physics to chemistry after an astronomy professor barred her.
At her 2018 retirement party, son Mark Chilton toasted the astronomy professor who had turned her away.